


A Thousand Words

by greyhoundgirl13



Category: Maniac (TV 2018)
Genre: Closure, Post-Canon, Working through loss and grief, and a little bit of paranoia, good friendship bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:54:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25778485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greyhoundgirl13/pseuds/greyhoundgirl13
Summary: Annie and Owen travel to Salt Lake City. Annie works to find closure with her sister’s death while Owen worries over the consequences running away will have with his family.
Relationships: Owen Milgrim & Annie Landsberg
Kudos: 13





	A Thousand Words

**Author's Note:**

> Just something I made up and wrote down in a post-Maniac binge induced bliss. Kinda have an idea for a longer work but dunno if I’ll ever write it

Annie leaned forward in the driver’s seat.

“Okay, yeah, I see one just up ahead. We can fill up there.”

Owen leaned forward in his own seat, careful not to jostle Harpo in his lap too much, and caught a glimpse of the station ahead.

Annie glanced at him as he looked. The cool fall air blew through the ajar window, ruffling his hair and Harpo’s fur. 

Her lips twitched upward. Sometimes she forgot this wasn’t a dream anymore. She was Annie. He was Owen. They were on their way to Salt Lake City in her dad’s old truck. Everything was real.

She looked back at the road before he could notice her watching.

The gas station was small, out of the way. There were no other cars in sight.

Annie got out and dropped some money in the pump. She slid the nozzle into the gas tank and stood watching it, unblinking. 

This felt like a dream too, she realized. She’d been here so many times. On the road to Salt Lake City, standing in a derelict gas station. 

A fallen leaf tumbled by her feet, sounding dry and hollow on the pavement. The autumn air made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. 

Maybe it wasn’t quite the same as before.

The sound of the pump thudding its signal that the tank was full made her jump.

She blinked and looked around. The parking lot was still empty. Owen sat in the passenger seat, absentmindedly stroking Harpo as he stared out the windshield. Annie wondered what he was thinking about, whether he sometimes thought this was a dream too.

She shoved the nozzle back into the gas pump and knocked on the passenger side door with the flat of her palm.

Owen gave a start as she snapped him out of his reverie.

“Hey Owen,” she said, “I’m going inside. Do you want anything?”

He seemed to process this for a moment. “Some popcorn might be nice,” he finally concluded.

Annie nodded. “You got it.”

Owen straightened in his seat and began fumbling with the door latch. “I’ll take Harpo for a walk while you’re in there,” he offered, grabbing ahold of her leash.

“Good thinking,” Annie told him before turning and striding toward the tiny convenience store at the other end of the parking lot. 

She grabbed two sodas then debated if she should get a bag of cheesy popcorn, caramel popcorn, or just plain salt and butter popcorn. She settled on the plain popcorn before going to the front and dumping everything on the counter.

The man at the cash register had a bushy grey mustache and appeared startled to find a customer before him.

“Will that be all for you?” he asked already picking up the soda and scanning it.

Annie glanced over the man’s shoulder. “Yeah, can I get a pack of Marlboros?” 

The man turned slowly and seemed surprised to find the display of cigarettes behind him. He ambled over to the display and took his time picking out the Marlboros.

Annie shifted impatiently on her feet and glanced at the other displays on the counter to fill her time. There was candy and postcards and lighters and....

She stopped suddenly and blinked. Maybe this really was like before. She reached out for the display.

The man finally brought the Marlboros to the counter and scanned them in.

“One more thing,” Annie cut in, then slapped her final purchase onto the counter.

Owen followed Harpo as she sniffed her way down the side of the road. He found the way she grew excited at every new intrigue, trotting about and burying her nose in the grass, to be relaxing in a way.

The weather was starting to grow chilly, but the old sweater that Annie had given him was warm and soft.

Owen came to a full stop when Harpo finally decided to drop into a crouch and poop. He reached into his pants pocket where he’d stuffed a handful of plastic bags. He had never had to do this back in the city, he thought as he bent over to pick up the mess. The poopbots would have cleaned it up.

The thought of the poopbots set a pit in his stomach. His mind flashed back to walking down the sidewalk in the dark with his father, the family dog pulling ahead of the two of them. He could hear his father’s voice over the sound of cars as he explained Owen’s importance in Jed’s trial. At their feet, the poopbot made sure the sidewalk was clean and sanitary. 

The sound of Owen’s father’s voice grew fainter but the sound of the passing cars grew louder. Owen looked up and watched an old-fashioned, sleek, black car pull around the bend. He stood up, clutching the poop bag as the car slowed to a stop on the other side of the street.

The back door nearest Owen opened and a woman with perfectly curled hair, tailored clothes, and bright lipstick stepped from the vehicle. The woman turned her sunglasses-covered gaze to him.

“Are you Owen Milgrim?” the woman called.

Owen glanced over his shoulder, back towards the gas station, but he had walked far enough that it was no longer visible through the trees.

He looked back to the woman. She was still there.

“Who are you?” he asked. “What do you want?”

The woman began walking toward him, her heels clicking on the pavement. She didn’t spare a glance for possible oncoming traffic. “I have a message for you,” she said then stopped, still several feet from Owen.

“What?” he said blankly. At his feet, Harpo had gone back to sniffing.

“You need to be careful,” the woman told him. “Your family is looking for you. They’re very upset with you for running away.”

Owen’s mouth went dry. “What do you mean?”

The woman raised her chin and tilted her head. “I’m sorry that’s the end of the message. If there’s another one, I’m sure someone else will be in touch.” She turned on her heel and began stalking back to the waiting car.

“Wait,” Owen called out. He took a step toward her but nearly tripped over Harpo’s leash which was now wound around his legs. “But who are you? Who sent you?”

The woman didn’t respond. She only threw him a shaded backward glance just before she slipped back into the car and sped away.

Owen watched the car until it disappeared from sight. He stood still for a long moment then finally clenched his jaw. He needed to get back to Annie.

She was just getting out of the convenience store, her arms laden with snacks, as he was dumping the poopbag into the trash can by the pump.

“Hey,” she said. “Got your popcorn. Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah,” Owen confirmed, opening the passenger door and lifting Harpo inside. “Let’s get out of here.” He hopped in and slammed the door shut behind him.

Annie climbed into the driver’s side and held out a bag of popcorn. “What’s up?” she asked, eyeing him. Owen dropped his gaze. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

He shook his head and grabbed the bag. “It’s nothing. Let’s just get going.”

Annie watched him a moment longer before shrugging and starting the engine.

Annie pulled the truck to a stop.

Their detour had started when they’d passed a sign on a road and she’d been hit with a sudden burst of inspiration.

“Hey, Owen,” she had said. “You ever been to Lake Michigan?”

“No,” he’d answered.

“Do you wanna go?”

He had thrown her a quick sideward glance. “Okay,” he’d agreed.

They stepped out of the truck, Owen holding onto Harpo’s leash. The wind rolling off the lake was cold but refreshing as it cut through them.

Annie led the way to the shore. There was a beach with some tourists milling about, but not many of them entered the cold water. A sidewalk jutted out into the lake, paved into a manmade pile of rocks and boulders at the bottom of which the water lapped. The wind grew stronger as they followed the sidewalk. Harpo strayed from the path, hopping from boulder to boulder, her tiny claws scratching on the stone. 

At the end of the path was a dock with benches and railings. An older couple stood at one end, talking and taking in the view. Graffiti was carved into the docks and surrounding boulders. Annie ran her fingers over a stranger’s initials before looking out over the water. Boats bobbed over the waves, and on the distant horizon, a wispy fog settled over the water. Again, everything felt like another dream.

Annie’s hand found the small object she’d been keeping in the pocket of her yellow coat. Her throat grew suddenly tight. If there was any moment to finally use it, it would be now.

“Hey, Owen,” she said suddenly before she could chicken out.

He’d been watching the horizon but now his bright blue eyes flicked to her, questioning.

Annie swallowed. The wind blew her hair about, getting it in her face, forcing her to constantly push it back. “Will you take a picture with me?” She pulled the disposable camera, the one she’d bought at the gas station all those miles ago, from her coat pocket.

Owen looked down at the camera for a long moment. Finally he looked back up. “Okay,” he agreed.

Annie spun to face the older couple on the dock. “Excuse me?” she said politely. They both turned to her in surprise. “Could you take a picture of us?”

The woman’s face brightened. “Why, yes!” she exclaimed. “Of course!” Her eyes darted between Annie and Owen as she beamed.

She thought they were a couple, Annie realized.

She brushed the thought away. She didn’t care what these people thought they were. It didn’t matter anyway. 

The man of the couple stepped forward and Annie passed the camera to him. “Get Harpo so she can be in it too,” Annie said as she came to stand next to Owen.

He bent down and scooped her up. Harpo squirmed impatiently in his arms.

Annie leaned in close to Owen.

“Say cheese!” the old man said.

Annie forced a grin just as the flash went off.

“Thank you so much,” she said, taking the camera back as Owen returned Harpo to the ground.

“It’s no problem,” the man said.

“You two take care,” the woman added. Then she looped her arm with the man’s and the two of them headed back to shore, leaving Annie and Owen alone.

Annie looked down at the camera in her hands. “Twenty-three thousand words left,” she muttered to herself, reading the little number.

“What was that?” Owen said beside her.

Annie looked up. She hadn’t realized how close he was to her.

“Oh,” she said quickly. “It’s just something my sister said.” She held up the camera. “A picture is worth a thousand words. There are twenty-three pictures left on this thing. So, you know, there are twenty-three thousand words left to use.” She shoved the camera back into her pocket.

“Oh,” Owen responded. He eyed her pocket, seeming to think her words over. “Do you want to keep walking?” he asked.

Annie nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah,” she agreed. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

The two of them followed Harpo back to shore and continued down the water’s edge. Each gust of wind sent Annie’s coat fluttering around her, the weight of the camera in her pocket knocking against her leg.

Twenty-three thousand words, she thought to herself again. 

This time she intended to make every last one of them count.


End file.
